Into the Darkness
by Sydrianfan4ever
Summary: Fred Weasley died at the Battle of Hogwarts. He doesn't take it well until he finally realizes who the makers of the Marauders Map are for the first time. This is written for the 50 Ways to Say Goodbye Challenge and the Pick a List Competition.


**A/N: Hey everybody! I got this idea from a Harry Potter meme picture I saw on Facebook awhile ago and decided to write my take on it…it's basically Fred's reaction to meeting the Marauders the first time. It was written for the 50 Ways to Say Goodbye Challenge. Thank you Sanch (Eternally Seventeen) for being my beta! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

* * *

Fred stumbled out of the darkness and into an unknown realm that had a lot of fog in it. He coughed and looked around before realizing that he was the only one there. This realization frightened him and he started whirling around, looking for his twin. He couldn't be without his twin!

"George!" Fred started walking around in the endless fog, but he could not see anything. "GEORGE! GEORGIE!" Fred's voice was getting more frantic each time he called his twin's name. He could feel himself starting to panic. Where was he? Why couldn't he feel George through their connection? He had never felt this blocked before, when he tried to sense where his brother was. They couldn't read each other's minds or anything, but he always knew if George was alive or nearby at least.

But this time, there was nothing. The last time he felt like this was when George had gotten his ear blasted off by Snape.

"PERCY! RON! HERMIONE! HARRY!" Fred yelled loudly, his voice growing more and more frantic with every name he called out.

He could hear nothing. His eyes widened and he sank down to the ground slowly. Something was really wrong. He was all alone, and it was beginning to give him the creeps. Fred pulled his knees towards him, buried his face in them and began to weep.

"Georgie," Fred moaned softly, before crying harder. He hated crying. The last time he had cried was when his father had gone to the hospital after You-Know-Who's snake bit him. This place wouldn't have been bad if he at least had George with him, but he wasn't. "Georgie," Fred muttered softly.

He did not stir until he felt a hand run through his hair. "There, there, everything will be all right," a voice said softly. Fred shuddered before letting out a sob and wiped his tears so he could see when he looked up. He saw a woman with long, red hair and green eyes that seemed familiar to him. He was not really in the position to place her.

"Wh- who…who are you?" Fred asked shakily, involuntarily scooting away from her. She only gave him a kind smile and she placed a hand on his arm to comfort him.

"I'm Lily Potter," she said gently.

Fred's eyes widened as he looked at her eyes again. Now he knew why they were so familiar, they were Harry's eyes! He pushed her hand away from him and quickly stood up.

_No, no, no, no! If he could see her then that meant…. _He quickly turned around and started walking back toward the direction he came from, but there was no way out.

Tears came out of his eyes as he started walking further away from Lily. "NO! I can't be without George! Please, Mrs. Potter. Please help me get back to him! He needs me! He's my twin! I can't leave him alone! I can't be d-" his rant trailed off as he took another step away.

Mrs. Potter walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Fred rested his head on her shoulder and clung to her tightly. "I'm sorry, Fred. You can't go back. But you can wait here with us until he comes, if you'd like." Fred furrowed his eyebrows curiously together.

"Who is "us"?" He asked shakily, drying his eyes from his tears. Mrs. Potter only gave him a knowing smile before turning her gaze toward four figures that were heading towards them. Fred saw a tall man with messy black hair and glasses standing next to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. A larger man stood on the other side of Remus. Fred glanced at all of them back and forth before settling his eyes on the tall man next to Sirius.

"Who are you?" He asked cautiously, not letting go of Mrs. Potter. The man smiled brightly at him and held his head up higher before answering.

"Prongs."

Fred's eyes widened for what felt like the millionth time. His stomach flipped. No… it couldn't be…. He looked over at Sirius, Remus and the man standing beside him. "Who are you?" He asked, directing the question at him.

"Wormtail."

His heart danced as he looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus. Prongs and Wormtail were the Marauders, the very creators of the Marauders Map! He remembered it was in Harry's possession now.

Slowly, he let go of Mrs. Potter like a fledgling leaving its nest for the first time and walked over to Sirius and Remus. "Are you really Sirius Black and Remus Lupin?" He finally asked them, looking at them squarely in the eyes.

Sirius wore an amused expression and he elbowed Remus as the two laughed at Fred's question. Fred frowned at the two. It was a legitimate question, after all.

"Yes. Seriously," Sirius said, causing James and Remus to groan at the worn joke. Wormtail only coughed at the joke, though he looked amused all the same. Fred looked slightly disappointed. Sirius must have seen because he added, "But I go by Padfoot. Remus is Moony."

Fred stared at the two, and then at the man standing next to Sirius. _That must be Harry's father_, he thought to himself. They had the same hair and lithe built, perfect for Quidditch.

"Did Harry ever know that you were the Marauders?" He asked them in a soft voice.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other in amusement. "Yeah, he found out in his third year," Sirius answered, and Remus chuckled.

Fred's look turned incredulous. He had given Harry his precious map! The least he could've done was telling him who his role models were. Fred snapped out of his reverie and started shaking each of their hands. "I'm very honored to finally meet you. We owe you all our successes," Fred said, but James waved him off.

"We're always glad to help out the next generation of trouble makers. I am very glad that you passed it off to my son, though. It would have pained me to learn that he never found it. Looks like I should be the one thanking you and your brother for discovering it and handing it over to him." He winked at Fred, who smiled back and then looked around.

He spotted Lily Potter again. She was grinning at their exchange. He swallowed before speaking.

"If- If I stay here, would I be able to see George sometimes?" he asked tentatively. This place wouldn't be so bad if he could see his twin sometimes. Lily smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Once in awhile," she conceded, and his heart soared. "But the opportunity is very rare. We do get to watch out for everybody until they arrive, though."

Fred looked around at the group and then the endless fog. He looked back at the group again and stood next to Lily. "I'll stay with you guys," he answered finally. He closed his eyes and thought of his twin again. His heart broke when he thought about how broken he must be.

_ Georgie, if you can hear me….just know that I am ok. I'll be watching your back. I love you._ He began reciting this thought over again in his head. He hoped that George would be able to feel it through their telepathic connection. Fred opened his eyes and saw Lily was smiling at him. She seemed to understand what he was thinking. He mentally prepared himself for this afterlife and began walking toward them.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review! Thank you!**


End file.
